Ten years today since Kurt Cobain died

[Paragon]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2866825a1860,00.html

In the first quarter of the past decade, any kid with their antennae trained to pop culture knew and understood an object called Kurt. A lonesome, doleful guitarist from the United States' Pacific north-west had emerged as one of the early 1990s' most recognisable artefacts.

On this day 10 years ago, Cobain's notoriety as a disconsolate artist was set in concrete when he took his own life. The founder and songwriter of grunge rockers, Nirvana, Cobain was discovered dead from a self-administered gunshot to the head.

It was three days before an electrician found Cobain's body in the greenhouse above the garage in the musician's Seattle home. It was three days before many of so-called Generation X were stunned to learn that their anti-hero had given up his fight.

To gauge Cobain's popularity is simple: he claimed enough airtime, ink and eyeballs to be a bona fide celeb. To assess his legend and his resonance is a trickier affair...

[SmileyBoy]

1. I remember that day.

I wasn't even 12 years old yet, but I was listening to Nirvana for a couple of years. When I saw that report on CBS Evening News (I remember it clearly), it felt like a piece of me was being taken away. They were my first favourite band in my life. Soundgarden and then At The Drive-In and System Of A Down since took that place, but I'll never forget the influence Nirvana had on my life.

And he was only 27. Just like Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.

[bluestateguy]

2. I remember

I was a high school senior in the SF Bay Area. I was kind of a marginal Nirvana fan. My classmates, though, were huge fans. When he died my school was a morbid place the next day. I remember seeing students in mourning as if they had lost a family member. He spoke to a significant segment of my generation, Generation X.

[fujiyama]

3. I do remember

hearing about it on Entertainment Tonight. I was in middle school and had just started listening to them.

[roguevalley]

4. 10 years. God. How time has flown.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

5. First thing I thought:

And remember, I was 14 at the time: Oh, Courtney finally killed him.
Duckie